Closure for glass receptacles



June w, 1930. A. 1 MEROLLE ET AL. L76Z42 CLOSURE FOR GLASS RECEPTAGLES Filedsep-r. 22, 1928 fr l Y Y IN VEN TOR.

Patented le l0, 193@ nnensrn's E. MEROLLE AND EEEDEEION noEnLE, OE EnOOELvN, NEW Yoan, ns-

sIeNoEs, Ev" Drance En MEsNE nssreNMENTs, OE ONE-HALE 'ro snrn nosostros r.. MEEOEEE AND ONE-HALE To EMPIRE METAL one ce., ING., on EnoonrrrN. NEW

lindicated in YRK, nl. UURPOBATION OF. NEW YOBJEE CLOS-'URE FOR GLASS REGEPTACLES Application led September 23, 1928. Serial No. 3075953..

This invention relates to closure for glass and like fragile moulded receptacles, and an fobject oil the invention is to provide a closure formed preferably of sheet metal and capable of easily and eciently resealing the receptacle as frequently as may be desired.

A further object is to so design the clo- 'sure that it will delinitely and positively indicate when the original seal has been broken.

it further object is to provide a closure comprising one part ermanently sealed upon the relatively unylelding glass receptacle providing a relatively yielding seat cooperative with another part removably engaging within said seat.

A more detailed object is to provide a closure including a part sealed onto the glass receptacle, a second part closing the opening of the receptacle being of a character readily removable to give access to the contents of the receptacle, and athird part removably engaging the first part to protect the second part and adapted to constitute in itselic a readily insertible and removable seal for the receptacle after the second part has.

been removed.

Uther objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of .the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of rotection contemplated will be 51e appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which we have shown merely a preferredform of embodiment of the invention Figzl is a side elevational view of a closure constructed in accordance with this invention, the closure beingshown as attached toa receptacle and a portion'of the view being shown in vertical section.

or parts of the closure to destroy the gasket seal between the metal and the glass. In many cases the gasket seal is purposely destroyed but in any event it is usually so mutilated that the closure can never be returned to its original air tight condition. By the present invention it is proposed that the gasket seal beween the metal and the glass shall at no time be disturbed, access to the contents of the receptacle being afforded by other means.

A somewhat broader aspect of the present improvement contemplates that the glass wall part surrounding the mouth or opening of the receptacle shall have fixed thereto, as a substantially integral element therewith, a seat forming part which is relatively yielding and accurate in shape as compared with the relatively fragile, unyielding and usually inaccurately shaped glass material, to-

gether with'a part removably engaging in,

air tight friction relation within said seat to fully seal the receptacle opening.

i It is further contemplated by the present improvement that the gasket element, when employed, may if desired be extended to constitute an auxiliary closure for the receptacle opening, and that it may also if desired be of such material that upon removal of the first closure the portion of the gasket overlying the receptacle opening may be cut away with the obvious result that a positive indication is given of the fact that access has been had to the receptacle contents.

ln the structures illustrated in the drawings, and referring first to thestructure Fig. l, the glass or like receptacle is indicated by the reference character L as having an upper annular edge surface 1 and a relatively downwardly facing exterior shoulder 2. A

gasket member 3 overlies the receptacle opening 4 and has 'its marginal portion resting upon the surface 1. A ring shaped member G, formed of sheet metal or -like suitable material surrounds the upper edge portion of the receptacle, having a relatively horizontal part 5 resting upon the upper surface of the gasket 3, and an annular flange 6 which depends about the receptacle wall having its lower edge as 7 forced inwardly beneath the shoulder 2 so that the portion 5 is held firmly and permanently'pressed against the gasket so that the gasket is clamped between the portion 5 and the surface 1 and thus constitutes an efficient and permanent air tight seal between the glass and the member G.

The member G ,is shaped to provide an annular seat 8 as a part thereof, and within this seat engages a closure member H..

The seat 8 is a fixture upon the glass of the receptacle but, by reason of the material from which it is made it is relatively yielding as comparedgyvith the glass of the re'- ceptacle. By reason also of the fact that it may be accurately formedfby the use of dies such as are commonly employed for the bending and forming of sheet metal and the like it is of greater accuracy than could be practically provided directly upon the glass of the receptaclewhich carries it.

And it thereby provides an accurate and yielding seat for frictionally receivng'the closure member H.

ln forming the seat 8 the horizontal portion 5 'of the ring G is bent first upwardly -as at 9 and thence downwardly again as at 10, the seat 8 being directly formed by the inwardly facing annular surface of the portion 10. The yielding quality of the seat is thus increased. The closure member H as illustrated ion sists of a central portion 11 having an upstanding annular wall; 12 the outer surface Vof which is of proper portions to snugly fit into and against the seat 8. At the upper edge of the wall 12 there is provided an outstanding annular bead 13 projecting preferably into the space directly above the horizontal portion 5 of the member Gr where it may be conveniently engaged by a suitable implement to eect the removal of the closure at will.

This structure provides two air tight removable seals for the contents of the receptacle, first, the closure member H, and second, the gasket -3 which for convenience may be termed an auxiliary seal. Both of these must be broken before access can be had tothe contents of the receptacle. rlhe .seal provided by the closure member H may be broken by removal of this member, as by -the region of the seat 8. -The portion thus cut away may of course not be again returned and hence a positive evidence is given that the contents of the receptacle has been once reached.

The closure member H may be inserted or removed as often as desired, and when inserted it will always provide an efiicient and substantially air ti ht seal for the receptacle irrespective of whether the auxiliary seal has been broken or not.

rlhe structure illustrated in Fig. 2 is substantially identical with that just described, the illustration Fig. 2 being given merely to evidence the fact that it is within the purview of the invention here disclosed to fasten the metallic .ring member G to the fragile receptacle L by other means than by the use of the permanently bent lowe'r edge of the"annular ange of said ring member.

In Fig. 2 for instance the ring member is shown to have resilient portions as 14---14L at its lower ed e for resiliently gripping the receptacle after the manner of the well known Crown cap now in common use.

It will be understood of course that the grip between the ring G and the receptacle in this case will be a relatively stronger grip than that between the ring G and the closure member H so that in-so-far as the operation of inserting and removing the closure member H is concerned the ring member G will be considered as permanently connected with the receptacle.

At the same time however if occasion should demand, the ring G may be removedf.

by the simple ap lication of upward sure as is well ownl in theuse lo Crown cap.

If the seat 8 of a ring on a given receptacle shouldvbecome injured, or the eiiiciency of the seal between the ring and the receptacle should for any reason become destroyed, or ifv it should be desired to insert a new gasket 3, the ring G may be removed and a" new ring, or a new gasket etc., be readily replaced upon the receptacle.

The modification Fig. 3 ,proposes simply a different form for the seat 8 upon the ring G. ln this instance the seat 8 isprovided resthe

' by simply bending or Hanging upwardly an clamped directly between and in contact with,

the receptacle and the ring G if desired and without the interposition of any otherl mem-' ber of the auxiliary seal is not required.

In instances wherethe auxiliary seal is required lhowever this may be provided in the same manner as before, namely by the use of a disc of rubber, cardboard, waxed paper, or otherwise arranged over the receptacle opening or mouth 4 with its marginal edge portions overlying the upper edge of the receptacle. The gasket 16 may engage only the upper surface of the gasket 3, or both said upper surface and a portion of the receptacle as indicated at 18.

In the modification Fig. 5 it is proposed that if ydesired the metallic ring member G may be made of such form as to be moulded directly into the material of the receptacle. The inner annular edge of the ring member will simply be turned to provide'the seat 8 to receive the closure H as before.

It will be understood that in all of the structures illustrated the seat 8 is of a relatively yielding character as compared with the fragile moulded material from which the receptacle is formed and that itis thus capable of yielding, and is intended to yield, under the friction pressure of the closure member H not only to conform to any possible inaccuracies of the abutting portions of theclosure member but to otherwise effect a tight and substantially air tight joint between itself and the closure H. In the structures Figs. 1 to 4 the metallic vring member G is hollow without any point of contact against the inner annular surface of the receptacle, and hence embodies no element of danger to injury of the receptacle under the expanding strains imposed by the presence of the closure member H or otherwise.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope ofthe invention -as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be in-l terpreted as illustrativeonly and not in a we claim as new and desire limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, what to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a receptacle having an annular open mouth portion formed of fragile moulded material and shaped to provide an upwardly facing annular surface lying substantially in a single horizontal plane, of a substantially flat annular disc of paper lying ilat over said mouth as a clo-' i sure therefor said flat disc having its annular marginal portion resting flat upon said upwardly facing annular surface, a sheet metal ring-shaped member also overlying said upwardly facing annular surface resting flat against the upper annular marginal portion offsaid flat disc and having a portion of itself bent to provide an annular metallic closure seat, said ring-shaped member having an integral portion depending about the outer surface of the receptacle and engaging therewith operable to clamp the annular portion of the disc as a asket between the ringshaped member `and the upwardly facing surface of the receptacle to thereby seal vthe mouth of the receptacle, a metallic closure removably engaging within the seat of said ring-shaped member constituting a second closure for said mouth, and said second closure and said closure seat being disposed wholly above the plane of )said upwardly facing annular surface of the receptacle.

2. The combination with a receptacle having an annular mouth portion formed of fragile moulded material and shaped to provide an upwardly facing annular edge surface surrounding the mouth opening, of a disc shaped member overlying said mouth opening as a closure therefor having its annular marginalportion lying upon said upwardly facing annular surface, a sheet metal ring shaped member also overlying said upwardly facing annular edge surface and lying upon the upper annular marginal portion of said closure disc, said ring shaped member havin means exteriorly of the receptacle by whlch it is fixed to the receptacle and by which to clamp the annular portion of the closure disc as a gasket between the ring shaped member and the upwardly facing edge surface of the receptacle to thereby seal the mouth of the receptacle, said ring shaped member having its inwardly facing annular edge portion formed to constitute a metallic closure seat for frictionally receiving a separately formed closure member forced thereinto, a separately formed metallic closure member having forced engagement within said seat and removably frictionally retained therein by its pressure tending to expand said ring shaped member, and said ring shaped member being shaped to stand free of engagement with any inwardl whereof We affix our signatures.

AUGUSTUS L. MEROLLE. FREDERICK BOEHLE.

inwardly facing surface of 1 lli) 

